ARMED FORCES.
UKRAINE EXPANDS ITS MBT PRODUCT RANGE
JANE'S DEFENCE WEEKLY
DATE: 09-Sep-1998
EDITION: 1998
VOLUME/ISSUE: 030/010
BY LINE:
CHRISTOPHER F FOSS JDW Land Forces Editor
London
TEXT:
Ukraine has established itself as a major player on the world main
battle tank (MBT) market with the sale of 320 T-80UD MBTs to
Pakistan. It is also broadening its product base into other MBT
areas.
These include the locally-developed T-84 MBT (development
designation 478K), said to be in production, and at least two
upgrade packages for the widely deployed Russian-designed T-72 MBT,
the T-72AG and the T-72 MP. Both of these have undergone extensive
trials, including some in Asia and the Middle East.
The sale of the 320 T-80UD MBTs in 1996 was one of the largest
recent MBT export contracts. The first 15 vehicles were delivered
from stock early last year, followed by another batch of 20.
The Malyshev Plant in Ukraine is building new T-80UDs for Pakistan
and there are claims that 98% of this vehicle's components are
produced in Ukraine, including the 125mm 2A46M-1 smoothbore gun,
with local designation KBA-3. Before the break-up of the Soviet
Union, Russia supplied about 60% of T-80 components.
The latest Pakistani T-80UD vehicles have a 6TD-1 1,000hp diesel
engine, TKN-4S Agat commander's day/night sight, IG46 gunner's day
sight with built-in laser rangefinder and TPN-4 Buran gunner's night
sight. The 125mm smoothbore gun can fire a laser-guided round to a
range of 4,000m.
The T-84 has a similar fire-control system and general layout to
that of the T-80UD. The most significant difference is its welded
rather than cast turret. It is powered by the 6TD-2 1,200hp diesel
and can have the same protection packages as the upgraded T-72
described below.
Like the T-72 and T-80, the T-84 can utilise a front-mounted self-
entrenching blade, KMT-6 blade type mineclearing device and deep-
fording equipment. A recovery vehicle, the BREM-84, is also
available based on the T-84 chassis.
The T-72AG has been developed in Ukraine by the Khar'kov Morozov
Machine-building Design Bureau (KhMDB) and the Malyshev Plant.
It includes the installation of: the locally-designed and -built
6TD-2 diesel engine; new communications equipment; commander's
panoramic sight; thermal gunner's sight; added armour protection;
and the Shtora-1 vehicle-protection system.
As with all upgrades, the potential user can select components of
the upgrade according to their local operational requirements. The
vehicles can be upgraded in the user's own facilities or in Ukraine.
Installing the 6TD-2 diesel increases the road speed to 65km/h
(75km/h when the increased speed side gearbox is fitted). The
cooling system is liquid/ejection and the air filtration system has
three stages, allowing the T-72AG to operate in ambient temperatures
of up to +55ºC.
Thermal protection for the engine compartment and other passive
measures such as dazzle painting and anti-radar rubber screens on
the turret are also available as optional extras.
The fire-control system now includes a ballistic computer, gunner's
two-axes stabilised IG46 day sight, gunner's TPN-4 night sight
stabilised in the vertical plane and commander's TKN-4S Agat
day/night sight stabilised in the vertical plane. As an option, the
gunner can have a thermal night sight.
According to the manufacturer, the new fire-control system and
sighting systems increase the hit probability at a range of 2,000m
to over 85% as well as reducing the target engagement time to
between 10 seconds and 15 seconds.
The 125mm gun is stabilised in two axes while the roof-mounted
12.7mm NSVT anti-aircraft machine gun is stabilised in the vertical
plane and can be laid and fired under armour protection.
The more advanced T-72 MP upgrade is a joint development between the
KhMDB and the Malyshev Plant, the Czech Republic's PSP company,
which is the overall prime contractor, and SAGEM of France.
It includes a similar protection package, installation of the 6TD- 1
engine, or as an option, the 6TD-2 or 6TD-3 (1,500hp) engine, added
armour and the Shtora-1 protection system.
The most significant improvement is the French SFIM VS 580
stabilised panoramic day sight for the commander; the gunner has the
SAGEM SAVAN-15 combined day/night/thermal stabilised sight with
laser rangefinder; and the commander has a monitor to view the
thermal image from the gunner's SAVAN-15 sighting system. Both of
the sights are stabilised in two planes.
The T-72MP's sighting system allows for hunter-killer target
engagements. The tank commander observes and tracks the target and
hands over to the gunner, who carries out the engagement. The
commander can then seek a new target. Either person can lay the
125mm smoothbore gun onto the target.
The fire-control computer receives information from several sensors,
including the commander's and gunner's sights and takes into account
information such as angular and linear speed of the target,
crosswind, cant, speed of the tank, course angle of movement, angle
of sight, ambient air temperature, air pressure, longitudinal wind,
charge temperature, gun barrel wear, ammunition temperature,
geographical latitude of the terrain and individual angles of jump.
The French sights and fire-control system are claimed to increase to
2,500m the upgraded T-72MP's effective target-engagement range and
to raise the hit probability to 90%. Target-detection range has been
increased under day conditions to 5,000m and under night conditions
to 3,000m.
The 125mm smoothbore gun can fire the following types of 125mm
separate-loading ammunition: high-explosive (30F26), high-explosive
fragmentation, high-explosive anti-tank 3BK21B and two natures of
armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS).
The latter are the 3BM32 with depleted uranium penetrator and the
3BM42 with conventional hardened-steel penetrator. Ukraine recently
displayed a new APFSDS-T round called the 125G1, which France's Giat
Industries is understood to have developed.
Another T-72 option is the installation of a NATO-standard 120mm
smoothbore gun fed from a bustle-mounted automatic loader holding 22
rounds. This would enable a higher rate of fire as well as
increasing the battlefield survivability of the vehicle by removing
the ammunition stowage from below the turret ring.
A new turret of all-welded construction with more protection and
internal volume is another alternative.
There has been bad feeling between Russia and Ukraine over the T-
80UD MBT sale to Pakistan, especially concerning the Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR) of the major subsystems which have in the past
been supplied by Russia. There have recently been some moves to
broaden the co-operation between Russia and Ukraine in the
development and production of MBTs (Jane's Defence Weekly 24 June).
The significant influx of Western technology, mainly French, into
Ukraine, especially in armoured vehicle sighting systems, fire
control, guns, ammunition and automatic loaders, has already given
Ukraine a significant edge over its Eastern European counterparts.
Historical background of the T-80UD. there will be a 'high level of commonality' between the AK1/AK2 and the T-80UD
